The Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) has completed the short-term goals of its Smart Grid Strategy 2014-2035.

Between 2015 and 2020, Dewa replaced all electricity and water meters with smart meters, a deployment of over two million smart meters. By automating meter readings, Dewa empowers its customers with information on their usage patterns; allowing them to manage their electricity and water usage.

Between 2015 and 2017, Dewa fully automated its transmission network connected to the 400kV and 132kV substations. In 2017, it deployed its multi-application RF mesh network across the Emirate. Since then, it has expanded to provide communication to over 4200 distribution substations. This supports smart-grid applications such as electricity and water smart meters and the automation of the distribution network.

“One of the key factors for the success of smart cities is the seamlessness and availability of round-the-clock integrated and connected services, which is only possible via a smart grid,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, CEO of Dewa. “As a globally leading sustainable innovative corporation, Dewa provides an advanced infrastructure for facility and services management through smart and connected systems that use the latest disruptive technologies and the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, internet of things.”

He said the smart grid was a key component of Dewa’s strategy to develop an advanced infrastructure that supports the transformation of Dubai into the smartest and happiest city in the world.

“The smart grid covers the generation, transmission and distribution systems with investments of up to AED7bn that will be completed in the short, medium and long-term until 2035,” said Al Tayer.

Waleed Bin Salman, executive vice president at Dewa, said the Smart Grid Strategy 2014-2035 had supported Dewa to become one of the leading utilities worldwide in terms of providing electricity and water services according to the highest levels of reliability, security, availability, sustainability and quality.